Take Heart
by ravengal
Summary: [One-shot, set in FE:A] Cordelia looks back on the past she shared with Sumia. The friendship, the drama and everything in-between. Some things change, while others stay the same.


Author's note: Hello there!

Been meaning to write this one-shot for a while now, since I absolutely love Fire Emblem: Awakening. Seriously, it has to be my favourite 3DS game.

Well, please enjoy!

Also... this one-shot may contain very mild spoilers. It avoids the heavy ones, though.

Gosh, I tried really hard to get their personalities right. I hope I did them justice!

* * *

**Take Heart**

Sitting on the low stone wall that surrounded the camp, Cordelia calmly observed the world around her. She used to overwork herself with chores around this time of day, but she'd learned to slow down, as of late. She was rather thankful, as it was giving her a chance to appreciate the splendour of nature.

It was a beautiful spring day and many of her fellow Shepherds were milling about and chatting to one another. There were many battles ahead of them, most likely difficult ones, but it was nice to sit and smell the roses occasionally. It kept them all in high spirits. Why, she could even see Chrom from where she was sitting.

As she observed her beloved captain chatting to a few of his closest friends, she breathed a heavy sigh, partly from the happiness of being able to gaze at him and partly from the inability to ever be with him. Oh, well.

She was broken from her thoughts when she saw Sumia running towards her excitedly. The girl looked the happiest she'd seen her in a while. A smile tugged at the corner of Cordelia's lips; she had a feeling she knew exactly what Sumia was going to say.

About five feet away from her, however, her fellow pegasus knight tripped and fell flat on her face. Cordelia let out a small sigh, but was unable to keep the smile off her face. That was her Sumia, constantly falling over nothing.

Despite this, however, the girl had come a long way since the day they'd met. As she watched Sumia climb back to her feet, her mind cycled back through the memories...

* * *

A young Cordelia was standing outside of her house, brushing the fur of her new pet pegasus. One day, she wanted to ride her through the skies and, ultimately, join the ranks of the elite pegasus knights of legend. One of her favourites was the fabled wife of the first exalt. Now there was a woman she aspired to be like.

She was distracted from her thoughts when she heard hurried footsteps coming in her direction. Curious, she turned around to look. Heading her way was a girl around her age, with curly brown hair, and she was carrying some sort of package.

Suddenly, the girl tripped and fell flat on her face. The package she'd been carrying flew several feet away from her. Shocked, Cordelia dropped the brush and hurried over.

"Oh, gods, are you alright?" she asked.

The girl pushed herself up. "Owwww..." she said, "I'm gonna feel that one tomorrow..." She paused, then looked horrified. "Oh no, my grandma's present!" She crawled over to where the box was lying on the floor. "Oh, I hope it's not broken!" She picked it up and shook it cautiously. After a moment, she sighed in relief. "Oh, good, I think it's fine..." She quickly got back to her feet.

"Um..."

The girl looked at Cordelia for the first time. "Oh, hi!"

"Hi... Um, are you alright?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah! I trip a _lot_, so I'm kinda used to it..."

"I see..."

The girl smiled. "My name's Sumia!"

"I'm Cordelia."

"Nice to meet you, Cordelia! Well, I'd better get this present to my grandma. Hopefully, I'll see you again soon!"

"Um, maybe I should walk you to your grandma's house. I wouldn't want you tripping up again."

"Oh. Yeah. Good point." Sumia paused. "Okay, then! Let's go!" She dashed off.

"W-Wait!"

Cordelia really didn't want to run after her; she was terrible at running.

* * *

After a couple of years of being friends, Cordelia and Sumia were hanging out in the park when Sumia suddenly spotted something.

"Oh, gods, it's him..." she said, blushing.

"Hmm?" Cordelia asked, looking where her friend was looking. "Who?" She noticed the boy from down the street walking past. "Dirk?"

"Yes! He's really cute..."

Cordelia turned to her, shocked. "You like Dirk, too?"

Sumia's eyes widened. "_What_? You like him, too?"

She blushed. "Yes... he's very handsome and ever-so nice and-"

Sumia giggled. "Wow, we have the same taste in guys! Who would've thought?"

Cordelia couldn't help but giggle along. "Yes, it's rather strange, isn't it?"

"He picked me up from a fall the other day and he was soooo sweet!"

"Well, he complimented my pegasus last week. He said she was the cutest thing he'd ever seen!"

"No way!"

"I know!"

The two girls continued to giggle.

* * *

A few more years later, Cordelia had decided to join a group known as the Shepherds: a band of people dedicated to keeping Ylisse safe. Not wanting to be left out, Sumia had also decided to join. As they were being led into the garrison by Princess Lissa, Sumia moved closer to Cordelia.

"I don't know if I'm cut out for this..." she whispered.

"What do you mean?" Cordelia whispered back.

"I'm so clumsy and useless! What use could they possibly have for me?"

Cordelia frowned. "Sumia, stop it. You're not useless! The prince wants people with good hearts and good judgement and you have both." She smiled. "So, I think you'll be just fine."

"Well... if you say so."

* * *

After the meeting with Prince Chrom, Cordelia left the room with a rather red face. Sumia soon followed, her face just as red.

"Oh, gods, he was handsome!" Sumia cried out quietly.

"He _was_, wasn't he?" Cordelia replied. "I've never seen our prince so up-close and personal... and he was quite the catch."

They looked at each other with wide eyes, not quite believing what they'd just said, then they both burst into a fit of giggles.

* * *

Whilst in the Shepherds, Cordelia tried very hard to be useful. Having grown up in a family that expected nothing short of perfection, she was always striving to prove herself capable of anything. However, her eagerness landed her in trouble the day she obtained a grave injury from an excess of work.

She fell into a deep depression. Never in her life had she felt more useless than when she lay in that hospital bed. She was lost. How could she possibly prove herself if she could barely walk?

When Chrom came to see her, he scolded her for being so reckless. The Shepherds all cared about her – _he_ cared about her – and it hurt them all to see her push herself so hard, merely to gain their approval. He told her that she'd been trying too hard to prove herself, but she really didn't need to, because they all already knew she was amazing and she always _would_ be amazing, no matter what.

As a wave of guilt crashed over her, she cried. Finally, she understood. She understood what she meant to these people. What she meant to Chrom. On that day, she made a vow to herself never to be so selfish again. They deserved that. _He_ deserved that.

On that day, she also fell hopelessly in love with him.

* * *

Not long after she recovered from her injury, Cordelia was talented-spotted by Exalt Emmeryn's chief pegasus knight, Phila, and quickly promoted into the royal pegasus knights. Sumia was left behind in the Shepherds. This saddened Cordelia, as she'd be away from not only her friend, but the man she loved. Still, she soldiered on.

Times were tough in the royal pegasus knights. 'Little Lady Genius', they called her. The taunting was unbearable at times, but she was nothing if not persistent. She continued doing her best and improving her skills, helping out wherever she could.

She always wondered how Sumia was getting on.

* * *

The day eventually came where she had to rejoin the Shepherds. It was tough getting over what had happened – and some nights, she would get little rest from the nightmares – but she had a job to do. She had fellow soldiers to look after, inventory to keep stock of and equipment to maintain. She was always kept busy.

One day, however, she was caught off-guard by something Sumia – her now fellow pegasus knight - said.

"I... I wanna be with Chrom!"

Cordelia stared at her. "What?" she asked.

Sumia blushed. "I-I love him... and really wanna be with him... but..."

She couldn't believe she was hearing this. She knew Sumia liked him, but _loved_ him?

"... But what?"

"But I know how much you love him, too!"

Cordelia blushed. "Wh-What? Whatever gave you _that_ idea?"

Sumia frowned at her. "Oh, come on, Cordelia! You're always staring at him with this really longing look in your eyes and sighing really loudly and..." Her eyes started to water.

She was mortified. "_What_? A-Am I really that easy to read?"

"Yes! I'd have to be blind as a bat not to see it! So, I..." She sniffled. "So, I can't even _think_ about going after Chrom, because I know how much it would upset you!" She sniffled again. "I can't do that to my best friend..."

Cordelia took a few moments to get her thoughts in order. The shock of this revelation was a little too much for her.

Eventually, she shook herself out of it and plastered on a comforting smile. "Listen to me, Sumia..." Her friend looked up at her. "If you want to be with Chrom, then I say go for it."

Sumia's eyes widened. "But..."

"He and I were never meant to be... but there's nothing stopping _you_ from being with him."

"B-But, Cordelia... compared to you, I'm not very impressive at all! I'm so clumsy and useless and it's a wonder I can even ride a pegasus-"

"Now, stop that, Sumia. You're a very capable pegasus knight. Just think of all the Risen you've slain with that lance of yours!"

"But you're beautiful and intelligent and can do _everything_ and I'm just-"

Cordelia frowned. "Sumia!" The girl was really trying her patience now. "Listen... you are an amazing person. Never let anyone tell you otherwise."

"... You think so?"

She smiled warmly. "I know so. Now, go out there and do me proud."

After a moment, Sumia smiled back. She sniffled. "Oh, thank you, Cordelia!" She lunged at her and held her tight. "You're the best friend ever!"

"Heh, I try."

"I'm really sorry... I really didn't wanna hurt you, so I-"

"You're not hurting me. You deserve to be happy, Sumia. Now, go out there and win Chrom's heart!"

Sumia broke away from the hug. "Aye aye!" She hurried off.

Cordelia watched her leave with a smile on her face. As soon as she rounded the corner, though, the smile fell away.

It was true that she'd never thought herself worthy of Chrom – after all, the man was way too perfect to be real – but she'd always liked to think she'd stood some sort of chance. Now, however...

Well, as long as Sumia was happy, that was all that mattered.

* * *

Over the following weeks, Cordelia would occasionally see Sumia chatting to Chrom or baking him a pie. She would smile to herself, confident that the two of them would end up together within no time. It saddened her, but she was happy for her friend. The man she loved deserved to go to a woman worthy of his love.

Eventually, though, the day came when a shocking announcement was made as the Shepherds were eating their dinner.

"Hey, ya hear that, everyone?" Vaike shouted happily. "Chrom and Robin are engaged!"

As everyone in the mess tent cheered, clapped and whistled at the happy couple, who had bashful looks on their faces, Cordelia's mouth fell open. _Robin_ was marrying him? Well, she knew that the captain and his tactician were close, but she wasn't aware they were _this_ close.

She chanced a glance at Sumia across the room, but didn't like what she saw. It was immediately clear that the news had broken her. She'd been trying so hard to win Chrom's heart lately, but had fallen short of the team's tactical genius.

After giving the new couple her congratulations, Sumia quietly slipped out of the mess tent. Following an unspoken cue, Cordelia quickly followed her.

At first, she wasn't sure where Sumia had gone, but, upon approaching the girl's tent, she heard sniffling noises. Her heart aching, she opened the flap.

"Sumia?" she asked gently.

Sumia looked up at her, her face soaked with tears. "Oh, Cordelia..." she replied.

Instinctively, Cordelia entered the tent, knelt down and embraced her friend. "Sumia, I'm so sorry..."

"Gods, I'm so stupid..."

"Shhh... No, you're not."

"Yes, I am! I thought I had a chance..."

"Yes, so did I..."

"How could I ever compete with Robin, though? I'm pathetic, in comparison..."

"No, you're not. You were just unlucky, that's all."

There was a long pause. "I can't believe it..."

"Neither can I..."

"I really love him, Cordelia..."

"I know... but he's with Robin now. We have to respect that."

"Yeah..." Sumia sniffled, burying her head in her shoulder. "I know..."

* * *

In time, Sumia's heartbreak gradually began to heal. After a while, Cordelia even began to see her chatting with a few other men in the Shepherds. Occasionally, she'd come to her and tell her a story or two about her experiences, like when she'd collected honey with Gaius and gotten covered in bee stings, or when she'd tried to help Frederick with his chores, only to set his tent on fire.

Despite the mishaps, she was impressed with the girl's progress. She was clearly far more mature than she'd taken her to be. _She_, on the other hand, continued her longing stares and forlorn sighs every time her captain walked by. She wished she wouldn't, but she simply couldn't help it. She supposed she just liked to wallow in her own misery. She wasn't sure why, though.

* * *

Cordelia broke away from her trip down memory lane as Sumia approached her, a bright smile on her face. The girl held out her hand, displaying a beautiful ring on her finger.

"He proposed!" she cried excitedly. "Frederick proposed!"

Cordelia's face broke into a wide smile. "Congratulations!" she replied, climbing down off the low wall. "I'm so happy for you."

Sumia giggled. "Thank you! Oh, I'm so happy, I could burst!"

Cordelia giggled along with her. "I had a feeling you two would be together before long."

Sumia gasped. "Really? You knew?"

"I had a feeling..."

"Wow, really? Well, you knew _I_ loved _him_, but how could you possibly know that _he_ loved _me_?"

Cordelia smirked. "Come now... it was rather obvious. On the battlefield, I'd sometimes see him stealing glances at you... and that one time you got hit by an archer, he nearly had a heart attack!"

Sumia blushed. "Oh, wow..."

"I figured it was only a matter of time before something came of it."

Sumia giggled. "Well, you were right! And I'm so happy."

Cordelia gave a warm smile. "I hope you two have a very happy life together."

"Thanks!" Sumia paused. "Oh! I should go tell the other Shepherds! I wanted to tell you first, so nobody else knows yet... unless Frederick's told them already."

"Well, I suppose you'd better start spreading the word."

"I will!" She turned and hurried away. "See you later, Cord-!" She tripped and fell flat on her face. After a moment, she pushed herself up and kept running. "See you later, Cordelia!"

Chuckling to herself, Cordelia shook her head at Sumia's silly antics. She had to admit, though, that girl certainly had come a long way. For one thing, it had been a while since she'd last called herself useless. For another, she'd been able to fully get over Chrom and move on. She was now happy with someone completely different.

Glancing over at Chrom, who was currently chatting to Frederick, Cordelia was about to sigh, but she suddenly stopped herself. Perhaps it was about time she took a leaf from Sumia's book. After all, if _she_ could pick herself up and move on – especially after everything she'd been through – then what was stopping _her_?

She glanced over the other men in camp, wondering. Some were chatting, others were relaxing and a few were walking in and out of various tents.

That reminded her, she had a fencing lesson with Lon'qu sometime soon, didn't she? She looked up at the positioning of the sun and realised that it was almost time for the lesson to start. It seemed she'd been relaxing longer than she'd thought. A rather odd concept for her. She'd have to make up for it, somehow.

Stretching her muscles, she made her way over to the training tent on the other side of camp. As she passed various men on the way, she, once again, thought that perhaps it was time for her to move on. Time for her to stop hanging onto broken dreams and love someone other than Chrom. It was certainly something to consider.

She wasn't normally one to trust in fate, but maybe, just this once, she could let it have its way. Maybe, if she opened up her heart again, love could find its way back into it.

She smiled, a ray of hope shining within her. Maybe...

**The End**


End file.
